the church geek

Sorry I missed “Monday Matters” but since I’m on vacation Monday just didn’t seem to matter that much! But I do have some things to point you toward for the Wednesday Roundup:

1.) This seems like a pretty good idea for a blog series: Worship for an Emerging Church. I’m looking forward to reviewing some of the music that Mike highlights.

2.) Is Jesus the only way? I thought this was a fairly insightful way to rephrase the conversation.

3.) Stanley Hauerwas doesn’t fail to challenge in this thought on what it might mean to have an effective position against abortion.

4.) Worship services at Knox sure could be a whole lot different.

5.) One of my favorite photobloggers has a great picture for fall.

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Here is this week’s Wednesday Roundup - The Vacation Edition (lighter fare than usual…)

1.) Rockstar wanna-bes singing about the dangers of belief in the Trinity. Beware!

2.) I loved these reflections by a retired ‘mainline’ minister finding new life in an emergent congregation.

3.) They often say that ministers never really retired; Looks like the same is true with quarterbacks. I feel for the man, but as a Packer fan I’m in the camp that it really is/was time for the team to move on.

4.) And now for something completely silly and ridiculous!

5.) UPDATE: OOPS! I forgot to point you toward a photo or two…I love this evening photo by fellow local blogger, A Bite of Sanity. I’m not sure what kind of flower it is, but this is a great macro photo.

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1.) The PC(USA)’s General Assembly is just over a week away. There are many things I’m looking forward to and one of them is the Church Basement Roadshow which happens to be passing through town on the first Friday of GA. Check out a preview of CBR here.

2.) While I wait patiently for my economic stimulus check to arrive in the mail, this post on God’s Politics makes me wonder if there aren’t better things that both the government and I could do with the money.

3.) Jan, as always, has another good post. She looks at the difference between two coffee houses in the exact same location, one successful and the other one not, and asks what the church can learn from this.

4.) A while ago, I asked some questions about doing youth ministry. The internet monk has some great suggestions that I think are spot on.

5.) Today’s photo creatively and humorously depicts the current reality of major river flooding in northern and eastern iowa.

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We’ve been on vacation and just returned from a few days in the Twin Cities.

Our original plan was to hang around to attend the weekly Sunday evening gathering at Solomon’s Porch, but for various reasons we headed back earlier in the afternoon. Still, we did get a chance to worship with the folks at the Spirit Garage, a ELCA church plant that meets at the Music Box theater.

I love going to these types of creative Christian communities. I get a big charge from seeing folks do church in totally different and unique ways. I love seeing folks who are intentionally reaching out to those who have little or no church experience, who are inviting the entire body to be part of and to participate in a truly collaborative worship experience, and who are being creative and intentional about the ways they are involved in mission and ministry in the larger community.

At the same time, I come away from these types of excursions with just a bit of sadness.

Now, don’t get me wrong…I love my church and I love my current ministry. It is the right place for me at this point and time in my life. But at the same time I wonder how can we (or I) do more? How can we reach out with greater intentionality to the world around us? How can we be more innovative and creative in order to invite those who may not darken the door of the church into a relationship with Christ?

Sometimes I think our church should start a weekly gathering that looks nothing like our traditional worship service, but then I think I’m only one person, I can’t do that on my own and still keep things going on a regular Sunday morning. I also don’t have incredible gifts of creativity and our church doesn’t have a very deep purse….so such a thing would require other folks who have caught the same sort of vision to step up to the plate, to say funds don’t matter, and to rise up and help put it together.

Other times I think I should go be a pastor for a new church development. But then I know myself well enough to know that I’m simply not the type of person who is going to sit in a coffee shop and talk to every person I meet or get out into the community and make so many contacts in order to invite people to gather. That is just not who I am or how I am wired. Plus the truth of the matter is that I like being paid for what I do and there is no financial stability in starting church plants…

Then I think, well, maybe a few churches in our Presbytery, or maybe within our Cedar Rapids areas, should just get together and collaboratively resource and put together an emerging church service and ministry. But then I get a big headache thinking about all the issues of control, and who has the purse strings, and how such a beast would ever get off the ground from the get go?

So, at this point I just have all this stuff swimming around in my head. I continue to study and to read about the emerging church and the great things that are happening in pockets across the country. I continue to visit these types of communities when I have a chance. And perhaps most importantly I continue to seek God in prayer, asking what I am to do with all of this innovative church stuff?

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1.) One of the critiques of the emerging movement is that it is basically composed of young, white guys with goatees. This post reveals that maybe the stereotype is not quite so accurate: Emerging Middle Aged Women.

2.) I’ve got to find more time to listen to podcasts. I just haven’t figured out the best way to make them a part of my life or my daily routine. When I figure it out, I’ll be sure to have this podcast, Watching Theology, on my radar screen since I like both movies and theology. (HT: Jake)

3.) Kudos to Shawn Coons for spear heading an effort to resurrect the remnants of the defunct 7% conference. He and others have been meeting to make plans for “alt7 - a gathering for PC(USA) clergy under forty.” It will be held at Montreat next June, which is 4-1/2 months before my 40th birthday.

4.) Twitter seems to be all the rage, at least for the next day or so. One thing I loved about Facebook was the ability to provide a personal “status update.” Twitter is solely dedicated to that purpose, so if you care to keep up with what’s happening with me you can check it out here.

5.) I’m back offering you a wonderful spring photo for your enjoyment.

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1.) I really enjoyed this little essay by Elin Ljung on Adam Copeland’s blog. It is part of a series on the Bible in which Adam is inviting guest bloggers to submit the essays.

2.) Maybe you’ve seen this already as it’s popped up a few times on the blogosphere, but just in time for lent you can discover which city struggles the most with each of the seven deadly sins.

3.) Here’s another photo that I’ve enjoyed this week.

4.) Jason Byassee offers some thoughts on Bumper Sticker Politics.

5.) Where do you fit on the emerging/emergent map? I think it’s funny that on this map ‘evangelical’ fits right in the center of ‘Orthodox Christianity.’ I wonder what the Eastern Orthodox would think of that? Lots of emergent theology seems more consonant with Eastern Orthodoxy than evangelicalism does.

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Last night Lori and I were in Chicago at the Vic Theatre to catch the first night of Rob Bell’s “The gods Aren’t Angry” speaking tour.

The crowd of about 500 people - in the sold out theatre - was buzzed and waited excitedly for an hour before Bell took the stage. As I waited, and all throughout the evening, I wondered how many present were in some way associated with a community of faith and how many were just curious seekers. I don’t have an answer to that question, but I sure would be curious to know.

Bell is a masterful storyteller who adeptly relates the truths of the gospel in fresh and compelling ways by weaving together the scriptures, anthropology, theology, and tales of contemporary experience. This is not a “the bible says and you must believe” presentation, instead it is a “what do we know from our human experience and how does the bible and our faith relate to that” presentation.

Bell starts out by explaining how sacrificial systems arose within human cultures as a way to appease the forces of nature (the gods) that rule life. He then explores the innovative thoughts and ideas of early Judaism which revise and challenge the sacrificial systems of the surrounding cultures with an understanding of a God who could be known personally.

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I wrote a little piece over at the Presbymergent website that I hope will gain a little discussion. It’s The Emergent Conversation and Progressive Politics.

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Mark Scandrette’s book Soul Graffiti is a wonderful and compelling vision for life in the Way of Jesus. He does one of the best jobs to date of constructing a way between the gospel of social justice and of personal salvation. This is a truly wholistic expression of the gospel, and is a beautiful picture of the very best that the emerging church has to offer.

Each point Scandrette makes is woven not only with scripture but with compelling personal stories that serve to capture your attention and drive home his point. These are stories you will not easily forget. They serve to make it clear that Scandrette truly strives to live in the way of Jesus.

If you are looking to understand why simply ‘believing in Jesus’ is so difficult and not enough for us in this day and age, then I think this book will open your eyes and set your feet on a new path, one walking in the Way of Jesus.

Full of echoes of Dallas Willard and NT Wright, the best of thinking from these two contemporary giants of the faith is brought to a very accessible and readable level. From now on, this will be one of the first books I pull off my shelf when someone expresses a desire to explore the faith or to grow deeper in their knowledge of what it means to follow Jesus.

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As a result of a recent visit to Solomon’s Porch and recent experience in my own worship context, I posted some thoughts and concerns about making sure all folks are able to engage in efforts to break down the barrier between pulpit and pew and to create a more conversational preaching style. Check it out over at Presbymergent.

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What does a “Church Geek” do on his vacation? He visits other churches, of course…

Over the past year or so, I’ve been immersing myself in the emergent conversation. One of the leaders in that conversation is Doug Pagitt, the pastor of Solomon’s Porch, a holistic, missional, Christian community that meets in the Twin Cities. Over the weekend, my wife and I made a trip up to Minneapolis, and on Sunday evening we took the time to pay a visit to one of their gatherings.

Solomon’s Porch meets in an old Methodist building. When we arrived we scoped out a couch to sit on since there are no pews in the sanctuary. All the pews have been replaced with couches that face the center of the room. In the center is a stool from which the primary leader sits when leading a part of the service.

The service that evening focused on raising awareness about the sex slave trade and exploring ways to join in with efforts to help abolish it. We watched a video that detailed three different stories of women and children who had been freed from such slavery. We also learned about an organization called “Not for Sale” that organizations can partner with to join in abolition efforts.

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I just posted a response to one of the chapters in “An Emergent Manifesto Of Hope” over on the Presbymergent site. The title is “Our Target is Too Small” and is about how small we make the target of salvation.

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Mark at The Jesus Manifesto is running an experiment about perceptions of “Influencers” in Christian culture and more specifically in the emergent conversation. I’ve added my X’s and have italicized my contributions to the list.

Who do you think are the two most influential Christian spiritual leaders today (in North America)?

1. Rick Warren X
2. Joel Osteen
3. T.D. Jakes
4. Joyce Meyers
5. Max Lucado

Who do you think are the two most influential emerging Christian spiritual leaders today (in North America)?

1. Brian McLaren X
2. Rob Bell
3. Todd Hunter
4. Tony Jones

Which two Christian spiritual leaders (in North America) do you think are most worthy of being influential?

1. Eugene Peterson X
2. Ched Myers
3. Rich Nathan
4. Diana Butler Bass

Which two churchy or theological blogs do you think are the most influential?

1. The Jesus Creed X
2. Real Live Preacher X
3. Tall Skinny Kiwi
4. Jollyblogger

Which two churchy or theological blogs have influenced you the most?

1. Reclaiming the Mission
2. Leaving Munster
3. Internet Monk X
4. The Kindlings Muse

Which two North American church communities do you believe are the most influential?

1. Willow Creek X
2. Saddleback X
3. Lifechurch.tv
4. Vineyard Columbus, Ohio

Which two self-described emerging/missional (North American) communities do you believe are the most influential?

1. Solomon’s Porch X
2. Mars Hill (take your pick) X
3. Imagio Dei, Portland

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I’m now a contributor and one of the editors for a new website called Presbymergent. This site arose just before the mainline emergent conference in Atlanta and has generated a lot of traffic in the aftermath. It’s intent is to be a forum to explore the convergence between the emergent and presbyterian worlds. Check it out if you get a chance and add your voice to the conversation.

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I was in a seminar yesterday co-led by Doug Padgitt, leader of an emergent gathering of folks called Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis. He was talking about the organic creativity that arises from the midst of the community (songs, images, liturgy, etc.) in preparation for their gatherings. As the talk went on, I noticed that not once was the word “worship” used. So I kept asking myself, what’s going on here?

From within the Presbyterian tradition, one of the central things we do as God’s people is gather together on Sunday morning to “Worship of God.” This service of Worship is centered and focused on the Word of God revealed in Jesus Christ. It is corporate, in that the people of God gather together to praise and worship God. It’s individual in that the people of God are called to participate in that gathering to worship God.

I didn’t hear any of that language or focus yesterday in reference to the gatherings at Solomon’s Porch. It’s not clear to me, who or what is the focus of those weekly gatherings. If anything, the gathering is centered on the creative expression of the people, and God may or may not be the subject of that expression.

In questions that followed, some one asked why they don’t use songs (hymns, praise and worship, etc.) that don’t organically arise from within the community. In response Padgitt said “Songs are not Worship.” He then went on to say something to the effect that worship is our lived response to God out in the world. I dig that, I’m okay with that.

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